Balcony blockout insert

ABSTRACT

A balcony blockout insert is sized to engage a preformed blockout hole and includes a plurality of contact foot members that are in connection with respective pivot arms and structured to extend outwardly against the inner surfaces of the blockout hole by rotating a tensioning bolt in a clockwise direction using a tensioning wrench. Each contact foot member includes one or more resilient pads for engaging the unique contour of the sidewalls (e.g. circular, square, etc.) of the blockout hole to form an anchor point for a temporary railing post. The blockout insert includes a receiver boot for engaged receipt of a temporary post. The blockout insert is removed by turning the tensioning bolt in the counter-clockwise direction using the tensioning wrench, which causes the contact foot members to retract inwards and away from the sidewalls of the blockout hole.

This non-provisional patent application is based on provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/773,516 filed on Mar. 6, 2013.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to temporary balcony railing systems and, more particularly, to a non-invasive temporary balcony railing system that utilizes preformed balcony blockouts as an anchor point.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

During construction of a building having one or more balconies, it is desirable to install the permanent balcony railing at or near the end of the construction project in order to prevent inadvertent damage to the permanent railing during the construction process. Balcony blockouts are holes formed during construction of the balcony and are provided to receive and anchor permanent balcony railing posts. The balcony blockouts are filled with foam, which is subsequently removed upon installation of the permanent balcony railing posts.

Safety standards require that a temporary balcony railing system be installed in the interim in order to prevent construction workers from accidentally falling off the balcony. Conventional methods for installing temporary railing systems require drilling holes into the existing concrete on the balcony floor for anchoring a base plate and temporary post thereto. The process of drilling holes into the existing concrete can result in a number of problems, such as: damaging post tension (PT) cables and creating cracks in the cement (as illustrated in FIG. 1), contacting embedded steel, such as rebar or mesh, and/or allowing water penetration, which can result in corrosion and damage by freeze expansion. These potential problems can be very costly to fix. Moreover, the drilled holes are exposed after removal of the anchoring base plate and require filling prior to installation of the permanent railing system.

The present invention seeks to address the limitations and shortcomings of presently known temporary railing systems by providing a non-invasive temporary railing system that utilizes preformed balcony blockouts as an anchor point.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

Considering the foregoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a balcony blockout insert that is non-invasive and does not require drilling or nailing into the existing concrete surface.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a balcony blockout insert that does not damage the existing concrete surface.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a balcony blockout insert that is adapted for engaging a preformed balcony blockout hole.

It is a still object of the present invention to provide a balcony blockout insert that serves as an anchoring point in a preformed balcony blockout hole.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a balcony blockout insert that is easily removable.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are more readily apparent with reference to the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a balcony blockout insert sized to engage a preformed blockout hole and includes a plurality of contact foot members that are in connection with respective pivot arms and structured to expand by rotating a tensioning bolt in a clockwise direction using a tensioning wrench. Each contact foot member includes one or more resilient pads for engaging the unique contour of the sidewalls (e.g. circular, square, etc.) of a blockout hole as the plurality of contact foot members are expanded to form an anchor point for a temporary railing post. The blockout insert includes a receiver boot for engaged receipt of a temporary post. The blockout insert is removed by turning the tensioning bolt in the counter-clockwise direction using the tensioning wrench, which causes the contact foot members to retract inwards and away from the sidewalls of the blockout hole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, shown in partial cross-section, illustrating a prior art method of anchoring a temporary post to a concrete balcony floor, including a screw drilled into the existing concrete floor contacting a post tension (PT) cable;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, shown in partial cross-section, illustrating the balcony blockout insert in a preformed blockout hole;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, shown in partial cross-section, illustrating a tensioning wrench being rotated in the clockwise direction for expanding the contact foot members against the sidewalls of a preformed blockout hole;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, shown in partial cross-section, illustrating the balcony blockout insert locked into place in a preformed blockout hole;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view, shown in partial cross-section, illustrating the contact foot members being expanded against the sidewalls of a preformed blockout hole;

FIG. 6 is a top view illustrating an installed railing post being anchored by a balcony blockout insert locked into place in a preformed blockout hole; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an installed temporary balcony railing system anchored by a balcony blockout insert locked into place in a preformed blockout hole.

Like reference numerals refer to like referenced parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the several views of the drawings, the balcony blockout insert is shown according to the several embodiments of the invention and is generally indicated as 10.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a prior art device 100 for anchoring a temporary post 112 to a concrete balcony floor is shown. A base 102 is secured to a balcony floor on top of a blockout hole 104, which is filled with a foam insert 106, using screws 108 that are drilled into the balcony floor. A receiving member 110 is sized to receive the temporary post 112, such as a 2″ by 4″ post. A common problem associated with the prior art device shown in FIG. 1 is the likelihood of causing damage when drilling the screws 108 into the balcony floor. As shown in FIG. 1, it is possible that a screw 108 could contact and potentially damage a post tension (PT) cable 114 and/or produce a crack 116 in the balcony floor. In addition to fixing any damages, upon removal of the prior art device 100 and temporary post 112, the drilled holes must be filled and the foam insert 106 removed before the permanent railing post can be installed.

Referring to FIG. 2, the balcony blockout insert 10 of the present invention includes an expansion assembly 11 having a plurality of contact foot members 12, a plurality of pivot arms 14, each being in connection with a contact foot member 12, lower and upper thrust members 16 and 18, a partially threaded tensioning bolt 20, and a base plate 22 and a receiver boot 24 in connection with the expansion assembly 11. Each contact foot member 12 includes one or more resilient pads 26 for engaging the unique contour of the sidewalls 28 (e.g. circular, square, etc.) of a blockout hole 104 as the plurality of contact foot members 12 are expanded to form an anchor point for a temporary railing post 30 (e.g. 2″×4″ post). The receiver boot 24 is sized to receive a temporary railing post 30 and, in one embodiment, may include one or more apertures 32 sized for passage of a fastening bolt (not pictured) that engages the temporary railing post 30 to securely hold it in place. A tensioning wrench 34 is used to operate the expansion assembly 11 and is sized for engaged receipt at the top end 36 of the partially threaded tensioning bolt 20. In one embodiment, the tensioning wrench 34 is hexagonally shaped.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the cross-sectional width of base plate 22 extends beyond the opening of the blockout hole 104, thereby allowing the base plate 22 to rest against the floor adjacent to the blockout hole 104, with the expansion assembly 11 in the blockout hole 104. Base plate 22 is welded or otherwise attached to the upper thrust member 18.

Referring to FIG. 3, the expansion assembly 11 is shown being operated using the tensioning wrench 34. The contact foot members 12 extend outwardly when the tensioning bolt 20 is rotated in the clockwise direction (as shown in FIG. 3) and retracted when the tensioning bolt 20 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction. As the tensioning wrench 34 is rotated, the lower thrust member 16 moves up (clockwise rotation) or down (counterclockwise rotation) along the threaded portion 38 of the partially threaded tensioning bolt 20. Each pivot arm 14 pivots in relation to the respective lower or upper thrust member 16 or 18 and contact foot member 12 in response, thereby causing the contact foot member 12 to expand (clockwise rotation) or retract (counterclockwise rotation).

Referring to FIG. 4, the expansion assembly 11 is shown locked in a blockout hole 104, wherein the resilient pads 26 fully engage the sidewalls 28 to form an anchor point for the temporary railing post 30, which is sized for engaged receipt in receiver boot 24.

Referring to FIG. 5, the expansion assembly 11 is shown being operated, wherein the plurality of contact foot members 12 are expanding outwardly. As illustrated, the resilient pads 26 engage the sidewall 28 of the circular blockout hole 104. Referring to FIG. 6, an installed balcony blockout insert 10 is shown with a temporary rail post 30 secured thereto. Referring to FIG. 7, an installed balcony blockout insert 10 is shown as part of a fully assembled temporary balcony railing system.

While the present invention has been shown and described in accordance with several practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures from the instant disclosure are fully contemplated within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A balcony block insert device for supporting a post over a blockout hole in a surface, said balcony blockout insert device comprising: a base plate having a top side and a bottom side, and said base plate including an opening extending between the top and bottom sides; a receiving boot on the top side of said base plate, and said receiving boot having a plurality of sidewalls surrounding an internal caivty and an open top end for accessing the internal cavity, and the internal cavity being sized and configured for engaged receipt of the post through the open top end; an expansion assembly on the bottom side of said base plate, said expansion assembly being sized and configured for insertion into the blockout hole when said base plate is positioned above the blockout hole, and said expansion assembly comprising: a lower thruster member and an upper thruster member each being connected to the bottom side of said base plate, and each of said lower and upper thruster members having an opening that is in vertical alignment with the opening in said base plate; a plurality of lower pivot arms each being in pivoted connection with said lower thruster member; a plurality of upper pivot arms each being in pivoted connection with said upper thruster member; and a plurality of contact foot members each being in pivoted connection with one of said plurality of lower pivot arms and one of said plurality of upper pivot arms; and a tensioning bolt having a top end and a threaded shaft that is sized and configured for passage through the opening on each of said base plate, said lower thruster member and said upper thruster member, and wherein rotation of said tensioning bolt in one direction causes said lower thruster member to move upwards along the threaded shaft and force each of said plurality of lower and upper pivot arms to pivot such that each of said plurality of contact foot members extend outwardly until engaging the inner surface wall of the blockout hole.
 2. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 1 wherein rotation of said tensioning bolt in the opposite direction causes said lower thruster member to move downwards along the threaded shaft and force each of said plurality of lower and upper pivot arms to pivot such that each of said plurality of contact foot members retract inwardly.
 3. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 1 further comprising a tensioning wrench having a distal end that is sized to frictionally engage the top end of said tensioning bolt to allow for easy rotation of said tensioning bolt using said tensioning wrench.
 4. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 1 wherein the opening in said lower thruster is threaded.
 5. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 1 wherein said receiving boot has an aperture extending through one of the plurality of sidewalls, and said aperture being sized for passage of a fastening bolt for engaging the post.
 6. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of contact foot members includes at least one resilient pad for engaging the inner surface wall of the blockout hole.
 7. A balcony block insert device for supporting a post over a blockout hole in a surface, said balcony blockout insert device comprising: a base plate having a top side and a bottom side, and said base plate including an opening extending between the top and bottom sides; a receiving boot on the top side of said base plate, and said receiving boot having a plurality of sidewalls surrounding an internal caivty and an open top end for accessing the internal cavity, and the internal cavity being sized and configured for engaged receipt of the post through the open top end; an expansion assembly on the bottom side of said base plate, said expansion assembly being sized and configured for insertion into the blockout hole when said base plate is positioned above the blockout hole, and said expansion assembly comprising: a lower thruster member and an upper thruster member each being connected to the bottom side of said base plate, and each of said lower and upper thruster members having an opening that is in vertical alignment with the opening in said base plate; a first, second, third and fourth lower pivot arm each being in pivoted connection with said lower thruster member; a first, second, third and fourth upper pivot arm each being in pivoted connection with said upper thruster member; and a first, second, third and fourth contact foot member each being in pivoted connection with a respective one of said first, second, third and fourth lower pivot arms and a respective one of said first, second, third and fourth upper pivot arms; and a tensioning bolt having a top end and a threaded shaft that is sized and configured for passage through the opening on each of said base plate, said lower thruster member and said upper thruster member, and wherein rotation of said tensioning bolt in one direction causes said lower thruster member to rise and force each of said first, second, third and fourth lower and upper pivot arms to pivot such that each of said first, second, third and fourth contact foot members extend outwardly until engaging the inner surface wall of the blockout hole.
 8. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 7 wherein rotation of said tensioning bolt in the opposite direction causes said lower thruster member to move downwards along the threaded shaft and force each of said first, second, third and fourth lower and upper pivot arms to pivot such that each of said first, second, third and fourth contact foot members retract inwardly.
 9. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 7 further comprising a tensioning wrench having a distal end that is sized to frictionally engage the top end of said tensioning bolt to allow for easy rotation of said tensioning bolt using said tensioning wrench.
 10. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 7 wherein the opening in said lower thruster is threaded.
 11. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 7 wherein said receiving boot has an aperture extending through one of the plurality of sidewalls, and said aperture being sized for passage of a fastening bolt for engaging the post.
 12. The balcony blockout insert device as recited in claim 7 wherein each of said first, second, third and fourth contact foot members includes at least one resilient pad for engaging the inner surface wall of the blockout hole. 